The value of psychology when studying moral injury cannot be ignored, especially for people serving in the military, healthcare, and law enforcement. Such professionals often deal with complex situations that make them choose between right and wrong. Moral Foundations Theory is something that helps people understand the reason for moral injuries and their influence on people.
Developed by social psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Craig Joseph, MFT offers a framework for understanding the psychological basis of human morality. It suggests that our moral beliefs are built upon a few universal foundations, but they vary in strength and importance from person to person. This theory is critical for understanding moral injuries foundation theory because it provides insight into how certain actions can deeply violate one’s moral codes, leading to the profound suffering we see in moral injury cases.
This blog will explore how Moral Foundations Theory helps shape the understanding of moral injury, examining its historical roots, theoretical foundations, and modern applications. In doing so, we’ll address the critical questions: What is the Moral Foundations Theory? What are its key pillars? And what is an example of moral injury in practice?
What is Moral Foundations Theory?
Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) posits that our moral judgments and beliefs are grounded in a set of basic moral values, or “foundations.” These foundations are seen as universal, rooted in evolutionary and social factors. Haidt and Joseph’s theory emerged as a way to explain why people from different cultures or political backgrounds have divergent moral perspectives. According to MFT, human morality is not monolithic but composed of a mix of moral values that can vary significantly in their emphasis.
The moral injuries foundation theory provides insight into why certain experiences cause profound moral distress in some individuals while not affecting others in the same way. MFT suggests that people’s sensitivity to specific moral values—such as loyalty, authority, or fairness—may influence how they interpret traumatic events and their likelihood of experiencing moral injury.
The Five (and Expanded Six) Pillars of Moral Foundations Theory:
MFT initially proposed five foundational pillars of morality, which serve as building blocks for our ethical beliefs. These are:
- Care/Harm: This foundation is about our sensitivity to the suffering of others and our desire to protect them from harm.
- Fairness/Cheating: This focuses on our sense of justice and the need for equitable treatment among people.
- Loyalty/Betrayal: It concerns our loyalty to groups, whether family, community, or nation.
- Authority/Subversion: This foundation reflects respect for tradition, authority, and established social hierarchies.
- Sanctity/Degradation: This emphasizes a desire for purity and aversion to certain behaviors seen as impure or degrading.
An additional foundation, Liberty/Oppression, was later proposed to reflect our innate sense of freedom and resistance to oppression. Together, these pillars create a flexible moral framework, with each person prioritizing them differently. In military and healthcare settings, for instance, individuals might have a heightened sense of loyalty, authority, and care. When these values are violated—through witnessing or participating in acts that conflict with these foundations—moral injury is likely to result.
You may also like to read about: 7 Compelling Reasons to Read ‘The Moral Injury Spectrum’ Today
Historical Roots of Moral Injury:
The concept evolved from the Vietnam War, when soldiers returning home felt wrong for what they punished and witnessed during the war. Explaining this type of pain, psychologist Jonathan Shay was one of the pioneering figures: it was not the usual PTSD. Shay noticed that in most of his interviews the veterans expressed frustration with their leaders or trusted organizations, and through them they experienced betrayal, which, to Shay, was the cause of moral pain. In contrast to the physically inflicted wound that might damage one’s body, a moral injury impairs one’s stand for right and wrong, producing the kind of trauma that arises from the betrayal of a person’s principles.
Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework for understanding why moral injury occurs in certain situations. When a soldier, police officer, or healthcare worker faces circumstances that violate their foundational moral values, they may experience moral injury. MFT explains this injury by suggesting that certain foundations—like loyalty, authority, and care—are particularly relevant to people in high-stakes professions.
What is the Best Example of Moral Injury?
A good example of moral injury is what some healthcare workers went through during the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine a nurse who has to choose between helping one patient or another because there aren’t enough resources for both. If this nurse believes strongly in helping everyone equally and being fair, this choice could create a painful inner conflict. They might feel guilty, ashamed, and sad for having to pick one life over another. These feelings can be so strong that they don’t go away, even long after the event, leaving a lasting emotional scar.
How Moral Foundations Theory Informs Moral Injury Recovery:
Understanding a person’s main moral beliefs can really help with recovering from moral injury. By figuring out which moral values were hurt, therapists can help people talk about what happened, rebuild confidence in their beliefs, and learn new ways to cope that fit with their values. For example, if someone’s moral injury comes from feeling that fairness or care was violated, they might benefit from therapy that helps them see they can still make fair and kind choices. This process helps them feel more at peace with themselves and their decisions.
CBT and EMDR were adapted to cure moral injury. However, there is a relatively recently developed therapy called adaptive disclosure, which is applicable specifically to military personnel. The application of such therapy deals with shame, guilt, and betrayal that result from moral injury. In adaptive disclosure, the therapists assist the people in experiencing their situation and start recovering as they look and reestablish their values.
